Sole protector



Oct. 18, 1949. E, F. DE Rooy 2,484,935

SOLE PROTECTOR Filed Sept. 5, 1947 7 WWI-miauw i INVENTDR *gh v531mmFRANCIS nenooY Patented ct. 18, 1949 SOLE PROTECTOR Edward Francis DeRooy, Alberni, British Columbia,

Canada., assignor of one-third to Thor Melanchton Peterson, PortAlberni, British Columbia, Canada Application September 5, 1947, SerialNo. 772,336

2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in a sole protector andappertains particularly to a plate, removably applicable to the sole ofa boot, shoe or other article of footwear, for use with a spade, shovelor like digging implement.

The shoe soles of those engaged in railway building or maintenance,gardening, and such occupations are seriously damaged by the constantpressure applied to the top edge of the shovel with the result that thesoles become cut or cracked and the shoe is prematurely rendered yuseless.

It is an object of this invention to provide a sole protector of simpledesign and that may be produced at low cost, in the form of a removableplate stamped, cast or moulded from steel, iron, aluminum, magnesium,thermo-setting synthetic plastic or other suitable material that can beapplied to the underside of the sole of a shoe, underlying the ballrather than the instep, and provided with downwardly extending, spaced,transverse, spade-retaining ridges at front and rear.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sole protector havinginterior grooves at opposite sides in which the edges of the sole may beaccommodated to aid in preventing rearward displacement of theprotector.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall becomeapparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall behereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly describedwhen reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosurewherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the sole protector .applied to a workboot;

Figure 2 is a transverse, vertical section therethrough as taken on line22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of protector; and

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of a further modified form;

Figure 5 is a side elevation, similar to Figure 1, of a slightlydifferent form of sole protector.

The preferred form of protector is a light Weight aluminum casting 5such as is shown in the drawings having a sole-engaging part 6 acrossthe front and rear of which shovel-retaining extensions or ridges 1extend. Opposite sides 8 are upturned as vertical side walls or flangeswith longitudinally spaced strap-receiving slots 9 near their upperedges. A pair of 2-part buckle straps it, of suitable length attach tothe protector by these slots, the rearmost of which may loop around theback of the shoe in addition to passing over the instep arch if sodesired. As an aid to holding the plate against backward displacementand to anchor it more snugly, the inner faces of the side ilanges 8 maybe laterally grooved as at l l near the bottom to clampingly receive theedges of the sole.

In the modified form of protector shown in Figure the side flanges 8 arecut away in the middle as at hi to save material and weight and theunder side of the plate is formed with a longitudinally arched centralpocket l5 to receive the spades top edge. The further modified form seenin Figure 5 combines in effect the underside structure of the precedingforms, the bottom I6 rounding back from the thickened front ridge I1 toa rear transverse ridge l as in the preferred design of plate; thesole-engaging upper surface I8 however is concaved in a longitudinallyextending arc to correspond with the curve occurring in some soles.

In the protector shown in Figure 5, a less favoured design of sole platehas a sole-under lying part I9 with a slight reverse curve extendinglongitudinally to facilitate the location of the protector in a morerearward position and either partly or wholly covering the instep partof the sole.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be manifest that a sole protector is provided thatwill fulfil all the necessary requirements of such a device but as manychanges could be made in the above description and many apparentlywidely different embodiments of the invention may be constructed withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit orscope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the saidaccompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A sole protector comprising an integral soleengaging plate arcedlongitudinally, upstanding side flanges on opposite sides thereof,spaced longitudinal slots near the top of said side anges, complementarystrap and buckle assemblies attached thereby, sole edge-receivinggrooves on the inside of said side anges at the base thereof andfollowing the longitudinally arced contour of the plate and transverselyextending shovel top edge restraining projections depending from theunderside of said plate across the bottom-thereof at both front andrear.

2. A sole protector comprising an integral soleengaging plate arcedlongitudinally, upstanding side flanges on opposite sides thereof,spaced longitudinal slots near the top of said ilanges, complementarystrap and buckle assemblies attached thereby, sole edge-receivinggrooves on the yinside of said side flanges at the base thereof andfollowing the longitudinally arced `contour of the plate and a centrallyarched, ange at opposite 4 ends depending from the underside of saidplate.

EDWARD FRANCISv DE' ROOY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the lle ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '756,560 Austin Apr. 5, 1904836,964 Edwards Nov. 27, 1906 890,388 Wilcox June 9, 1908 1,437,376Young Nov. 28, 1922 2,387,819 Wingfield Oct. 30, 1945

